St. Louis Park council approves comprehensive plan and first reading of new residential zoning structure

The St. Louis Park City Council voted to adopt amendments to the city’s comprehensive plan and to approve the first readings of a zoning‑text amendment and a zoning‑map amendment that reshape residential rules citywide.

What changed: City staff proposed replacing the existing five residential zoning classifications with four neighborhood districts (N1–N4). The ordinance changes create standardized tables of dimensional standards (lot width, minimum lot area, yard and height rules) and explicitly permit a wider range of “house‑scale” and “low‑rise” housing types in select districts, including duplexes, triplexes, courtyard cottages, small townhomes and low‑rise apartment buildings. Staff also proposed maximum impervious‑surface limits by housing type, clarified driveway access rules that require alley access when an alley is available, relaxed an accessory‑dwelling‑unit (ADU) owner‑occupancy requirement and reduced ADU rear‑yard setbacks from 15 feet to 5 feet in some cases.

Why it matters: Staff and supporters said the changes implement goals adopted in prior planning efforts to add housing variety and expand options for homeowners and renters. Planning staff and commission members said the rewrite aims to preserve existing single‑family form by keeping current height and setback envelopes while allowing additional housing types that fit those envelopes. Opponents and public commenters raised concerns about parking, alley maintenance, neighborhood character, privacy and possible investor‑driven tear downs.

Key figures and process: Zoning administrator Gary Morrison described the rewrite as a conversion that retains most existing dimensional requirements while reorganizing them into tables for clarity. Morrison said the N1 district would cover most of the city’s residential land (combining current R1, R2 and R3) and that N2 would align with transportation corridors to support transit and commercial nodes. Planning staff noted extensive outreach including three surveys, a project webpage (more than 1,000 visits), four newspaper articles and nine open houses in 2024, plus a planning commission public hearing on Jan. 8, 2025; the planning commission recommended approval.

Public comment and data cited: During public testimony Karen (last name on record) said she was “really concerned with the efforts to densify St. Louis Park” and worried about traffic, on‑street parking and privacy impacts from ADUs and small multiunit buildings. Staff presented a property‑value analysis they said shows “a very flat line” when comparing single‑family home values near existing duplexes/triplexes, which staff cited as evidence that nearby small multiunit housing has not historically depressed nearby property values in St. Louis Park.

City‑owned parcels: The Planning Commission recommended rezoning two city‑owned parcels (2800 Toledo Avenue South, “Rock Island,” and 3940 France Avenue South) to park and open space in their entirety; staff had proposed different treatments for the parcels and earlier council discussion had not reached a five‑vote consensus to change the future‑land‑use maps. Councilmembers debated those parcels during the meeting and several members urged adopting the planning commission recommendations to avoid repeated public campaigns.

Votes and next steps: Council adopted the comprehensive plan amendment unanimously. The first reading of the zoning ordinance amendment and the first reading of the zoning map amendment were both approved unanimously, and second readings were scheduled for March 3, 2025. Staff said final implementation steps include mapping conversions and follow‑up public information.

Ending: The code rewrite represents a major, citywide change to residential zoning intended to increase housing options while preserving existing building envelopes; the council advanced the measures to a second reading after weeks of outreach and debate.